A Resolved Alliance
by griffin-queen-of-silver-skies
Summary: Chapter six is up! it's been almost seven months , Syndrome is dead, and Mirage is left alone and poor. in her travels, she meets up with an old friend, but are they really friends? the story is better, i promise Read and Review plz! i accept any kind of
1. Seven months Later

Authors note: hello all, it's me Griffinqueenofsilverskies here, with my first incredibles fanfic, and I'm feeling very confident that you'll all like it. I just wanted to say thanks to my friends Blackfire3010 and CapitaineCartoon. Blackfire recently accepted me into her C2 and has been helping me a lot through my whole story. And CapitaineCartoon has just been an all-around inspiration…Thanks so much to both of you! Now, sit back, relax, eat stuff, and enjoy the first chapter. Oh and one more thing, if any of you have AOL instant messenger. My screen name is Stardust5556. Drop me a message sometime ! Enjoy chapter one! 

A Resolved Alliance-chapter one

_"Metroville…such a nice city."_ Thought Mirage_. "Much busier then the vast island of Nomanisan. It's nice to see women again too. All of the workers on that island were men, guards, chefs, everything. The only women on the island were those bad-tempered nurses that worked in the infirmary. I love to stroll around on these streets, nowhere to go in particular…heh… it's not that hard for me, that's because I really don't have anywhere to go…."_

Mirage walked down the street, thinking about nothing in particular. She had been through a lot in the past month. Khaki-colored jeans, and a black sweater. Her beautiful platinum-blonde hair pulled back in a loose ponytail, she was finally free. Free from the constricting bonds of stockings and a business suit, free from endless reports and charts to write and study, free from…him. That was it, at that very moment, Mirage stopped dead in her tracks, she just couldn't get him out of her head. Syndrome, that very name left a bitter taste in her mouth. He loved her, and she knew it, but all she could ever feel for that man was hatred. She stopped her train of thoughts again…she had called him a man, no, no that wasn't the case at all. Syndrome was far from a man; he was a boy, a boy with power. He had done some horrible things to her, and she would never forget, but she swore on her life, not to tell another living soul about the evils of Syndrome. Mirage began to walk again, not wanting to attract attention to herself, now that she thought about it… there was one family that had experienced Syndrome first hand. She began to think more and more of that family, the Parr family. Oh how she wished she too was part of a family, around people that she loved, and could love her back. People to talk to; people that understood her…all of these thoughts plagued her mind over and over again. She needed a place to go to clear her head, her money supplies were only for bare essentials, but she figured this was an exception. She went to the café on the other side of the road for a Cappuccino.

_"Arrgh! There's so much to do in my life."_ Helen said to herself_. "Dash has his play tonight; I absolutely can't miss that. Violet wants to go see a movie with Sharon tonight, so she's going to need a ride, and I STILL have to get home to Bob and Jack-Jack and make dinner…I wonder if Bob scrubbed the bathtub yet…ugh, there are just not enough hours in the day. I swear this supermarket's selection gets worse and worse every day…EW! What is that? Is that mold?"_

Mrs. Parr walked down the aisles of the Metroville food-mart. There were many other stores, but this was by far the best one, even though their selection was a little…slim. She was picking out a box of cereal for her children, wondering which kind she should buy. She let out I long sigh, life was good. She really had no complaints, except with little things; trivial things that all moms like to nag about. She finished getting all of the items on her list and went through the checkout line then out to the car to put her bags away.

_"So many people…"_ thought Mirage_. "It's so easy to get lost in this city. I need a place to sit down though, I'm getting tired, I've been walking non-stop for hours…hmmm, I wonder what the Parr family is doing right now. I should go visit them…no…after what happened on Nomanisan they'd never even want to look at me…." She touched the spot on her cheek where Mrs. Incredible had struck her. She could swear it still stung. "I'm always misunderstood, no matter what I do…. She didn't even give me two seconds to explain myself. Even if he was the one who hugged me, she just assumed I was guilty and slapped me…sigh… I don't think I'll ever be understood…_

Helen walked into her house and was greeted by her husband, with a hug and a kiss on the cheek

_"Hey honey, how was your day?"_

_"Eh, not too bad, I went food shopping; there are bags in the car that you and Dash can help me unload. Vi needs a ride to the movies tonight; she's going with Sharon_

_"Yeah, she told me about that, what's she seeing?"_

_" Gothika, it's a new horror film that came out not too long ago."_

_" Hmm, sounds interesting, you might want to tell her to wear a jacket though, the weather channel says it's gonna be pretty cold tonight. Well, I'll go get the bags for you now, Dash isn't here. He went to play baseball with his friends._

_"Ok, I'll go pick him up later when I take Vi to the movies around 5:30"_

Walking into her kitchen, Helen got a glass of ice water (I love those ice/water maker things on the fridge, so convenient .) She sat down at the table to look at the newspaper. Nothing interesting going on today…as always. Metroville, despite its size, was a rather quiet city; the crime rate wasn't very high, nor was there as much low class as anywhere else. It was a happy city, and now that the supers returned, it was going to get even better. Helen put down the paper and got out of her chair. Aiding her husband in putting away the groceries.

_"It's been almost seven months now since we've seen her. I wonder how she is…it was wrong of Helen to hit her like that. If she'd only listened to my story, poor Mirage could've been spared a big red handprint on her cheek. I just hope she's happy where she is now, wherever she is." Said Bob as he was walking out of the kitchen._

Back in her hotel room. Mirage had broken down in sobs. Big, choked sobs that would tear your heart out within the first two seconds if hearing them. It wasn't unlike her to cry, she would cry all the time out of sheer hatred for Syndrome and all of the things he had done to her, but she had never been sobbing like this. This time, she was crying out of frustration, frustration about all of the people that had misunderstood her, frustration about life in general. These past few months had taken a huge toll on her, and it made itself known that night when Mirage finally decided to look in the mirror, what she saw in the mirror made her only want to cry more. She saw a young woman, but a broken one. With a tear soaked face and red puffy eyes. She decided to take a shower, and then go to bed.  
The hot shower water felt good on her body. It was a nice hotel she was staying at, it really was, and it was cheap too. They had room service, cable TV with Pay-Per-View, plenty of hot water to spare, and the walls were practically soundproof. She figured that was a good thing because while keeping other noise out, no one would be able to hear her crying. She dried herself off and got changed into her pajamas. After drying her long hair, she climbed into bed. The silky sheets and soft blankets enveloped her, and she was soon in a deep sleep, her cares of the day disappearing like her consciousness. She had a nightmare that night (weren't expecting that one were ya? Huh? Huh?) , and she was sleepless yet again, but what she didn't know was that her life was about to take a drastic turn…a turn that would change the way Mirage lived her life forever…

Endnote: bum bum BUMMMMM! Sry this was kind of a cliffy, and the ending is a little cliché, but it does fit with the story so, just bear with me, it will get better I promise. Well, I hope u all enjoyed the first chapter of A Resolved Alliance . Cya l8er


	2. Aftershock

Authors note: hey, it's me griffin-queen-of-silver-skies here and I'm back with chapter 2 of "A Resolved Alliance." I thank all of you who reviewed my story so much. I've mentioned all of you in the list below, but my memory is a little slippery considering I did this chapter at roughly around 10:30-ish tonight, so if I forgot you, just drop me an e-mail and I will add you onto the list. Oh, and one more thing, the order does not mean a thing. For a corny saying… "All of my reviewers are Number One! " Ok…yeah…here's the list, although its not much of a list, I only got Two reviews last time, so all of you read this, plz review!  
And if Mirage lovers your friends are (I'm talking like Yoda ) then tell them so that I get more reviews!  
My reviewers:  
CapitaineCartoon Syndrome'sgirlXOXO Thank you guys so much! 

Chapter two

_"Oh god…what a night._" Mirage said quietly to herself. _"Why is it always me that has the nightmares? I haven't had a good night sleep in weeks. I wish I could just live a normal life, I wish I could forget….."_ Mirage sat upright on the bed, rubbing her throbbing head. She was getting used to this, waking up feeling like dirt, stepped on and useless. _"If I had a dollar for every time I have let my thoughts drift to living a normal life, I would be richer than Syndrome himself."_ She said aloud. She finally decided to get off of the bed and begin her day. She walked over to her closet and began to search for an outfit. After about ten minutes of rummaging through the closet, she finally deciding on a pair of blue flare-jeans and a simple top, a purple short-sleeve shirt. Walking over to the mirror, she picked up a hairbrush and began to brush her long blonde hair. Anyone who looked at her could see that her hair was beautiful. Platinum-blonde strands that would make any silkworm suicidal with envy.

Putting down the hairbrush, she grabbed her makeup bag. Nothing extravagant though, she had very subtle facial features, so any kind of thick makeup would make her look like a slut, and that was exactly the opposite of what she wanted. She wanted to blend in, to be normal. "Aargh!" she screamed aloud, _" There I go again, thinking about my normality! I really need to clear my mind… I need to FORGET!"_ once again frustrated, she slammed her hand down on the vanity table, not noticing that the nail clippers had fallen out of her bag and, because of the impact, had made contact with the side of her hand. As she yelped in pain, the blood was slowly oozing down her hand. In her rush to stop the bleeding, on her way to the bathroom, she didn't notice her smaller suitcase lying on the ground from the night before. She didn't even attempt to stop, her feet made contact with the suitcase and she fell, barely even holding her hands out to catch her.

_ "Damn it all! Why do I even bother!"_ She rolled over on her back and laid on the floor, motionless, eyes shut tight, trying to find a point in living._ "What's the use! I have no home, no family, nothing. I am just another body, a useless freaking BODY! I will never again find my purpose in life, and it's all thanks to you Syndrome. You took everything away from me, and I was too stupid to notice. It was the promise of power that drew me to you. You promised me the rank of second in command, but even then I was nothing to you, just another slave, a pawn in you master plan to kill all of the supers. You claimed that you loved me, but I never felt the same, all I could ever feel for you was hatred. You lied to me, and you thought I wouldn't notice, well guess what Syndrome, you were wrong on so many levels. You seemed to have forgotten that I am a super too, you had forgotten what I could do to you. I could've killed you in an instant, and trust me Syndrome, I would have, but a jet turbine beat me to it."_

She rolled over onto her side, once again with tears streaming down her face, skeptical that all of these words were coming from her. It was all of the pent-up anger that she was unable to vent on Nomanisan. If she had, her powers would have run rampant, and Syndrome would've killed her out of fear. She chuckled; he really was a coward, a cowardly man hiding behind a façade of machines and expensive paraphernalia. He had no powers of his own, so he invented things. She loathed him; however, she couldn't help but be amazed by his inventions. They were all so intricate, and all of them seemed to bring out the genius in him, his trademark inventions were his rocket boots. These came about as a result of a boyhood fantasy, to fly around like the supers he had become so obsessed with. He had invented them when he was just a boy of eleven, and he had perfected them over time. They now had a very low level of fuel consumption and could fly for long periods of time without needing a refuel. Speaking of fuel She didn't even want to think about the Omnidroid, this robot spelled doom for almost all of the supers, and she was there to help it along "how could I have been so stupid!" she thought. It was because it was an accomplishment, it made her feel like she was somebody, but even then it wasn't right, she knew it was evil, but at the time, she didn't care, she had a purpose…  
It was apparent to Mirage that she had dozed off. Ashamed of herself for falling asleep on the floor, she slowly brought herself up to the mirror, brushed her hair, and began to put on makeup once again. Mascara, lip gloss, and foundation. The salt in her tears had dried out the skin on her face very badly, making it crack and split open, mostly right underneath her eyes where the tears fell. The foundation would hide that until it had a chance to heal, if she could keep from crying long enough. Noticing that she was already three hours behind in her travels, she grabbed her purse and headed out the door to the town below.

End note: well, that was chapter two, I hope you all enjoyed it. I apologize for the shortness, but this was kind of a set off to all of the good things that will be happening, and Mrs. Incredible WILL meet mirage in the next chapter, I promise! Thanx for reading !


	3. Meeting at Parkington's

Hello ppl! It's me, Griffinqueenofsilverskies here with chapter three. Sorry this chapter took so long. It is now my summer vacation, W00T! Yes, this is the fated moment, the chapter when Mrs. Incredible and Mirage meet. I hope I've done a decent job with this chapter, I still accept criticism of any kind and I hope you enjoy chapter three. (Note: As the story progresses, I will start to think of names for the chapters, but if you have any suggestions, don't hesitate to tell me .)

Chapter three

"Man, I have so much to do today…again. Honestly I don't think I'll ever get a day off, well, maybe when I'm lying six feet under…" Helen chuckled at the thought, her whole day was booked full of errands again. She was driving down her street, finally getting sick of the music, she switched the radio off . Pulling into her driveway she removed Jack-Jack from his car seat and went into her home. An empty house and a note on the door greeted her.

"Dear Helen, Took the kids fishing and to see a movie, figured you could use the time to yourself. We'll be back around dinnertime, but if we're late, I will call, brought your cell phone with me. I promise I won't forget. Emptied the dishwasher for you already too.  
Love, Bob, Dash, Violet, and Jack-Jack

PS there is no catch to this. You seemed like you were stressed out this morning so I figured I'd get the kids out of the house for a little while… XOXOX"

Helen couldn't help but laugh at the last statement. "I swear that Bob has telepathy and he just doesn't want to tell me. It's like he knows exactly what goes on inside my head…men… Well, he gave me a little bit of time off, so I guess I'd better enjoy it. I have been meaning to check out that new department store anyway…" Turning around and going back down the porch steps, Helen got back into her car and headed for the city once again.

" I'm already three hours late today." Mirage was thinking to herself. "I still can't believe I fell asleep on the floor like that, imagine that, me! Someone who was the spitting image of the perfect businesswomen falling asleep on the floor like a worthless nothing. I have too much on my mind right now… I wonder if anyone has ever had his or her head explode from overloading their brain capacity. I think I may be the first…" walking quietly amongst the people of Metroville, Mirage blended in with the crowd, at least to them, to herself, she stood out like a sore thumb. She walked down the street to a little art gallery. She had grown fond of the gallery during her travels through the city. Day after day she would walk in and gaze at the numerous painting and sculptures without ever having any intention of buying. The people in there knew her well and always greeted her and made her feel welcome. Her favorite employee was a man named Paul.

" Hello there Miss Mirage, back again today I see, how's life in the city? "

" Hello Paul, busy as always, I'm late in my travels today though, I guess I slept in a little too late this morning."

"Nothing to stress about miss, it happens to all of us. Can I get you anything? Coffee? Tea?

" No thank you, I'm just here for a quick visit, is Sasha here today?"

" No I'm afraid she's not, her grandmother passed away last night."

" Oh, that's terrible, well, if by chance you see her before I do, give her my sympathy."

" Will do miss Mirage…. Will do."

An awkward silence passed between the two, It was apparent to Mirage that Paul didn't like the subject of death, not that she did either, but he was particularly bad about it…

" So Paul…. Do you have a favorite painting in this gallery?"

" Hmm? Oh, yes, actually I do." he pointed to a large painting with three men playing instruments, each one a different instrument, and each one distorted in their own way.

" Ahh, I see you're a Picasso fan huh? I like Picasso too, but if I had to choose a favorite painting, I would have to say that one." Mirage pointed to a beautiful painting of a river filled with brightly colored plants and a bridge hanging just overhead.

" Jean Claude Monet. You have very sophisticated taste miss Mirage, and it just so happens that that is our most expensive painting we currently own…hmmm, you're still staying in that hotel right?

" Yes, why do you ask?"

" I'll tell you what, It's been such a pleasure talking to you, and even though you haven't bought anything, you are our most valued customer. You have brought life to this little art gallery and made work fun for all of us. So, as well as regular visits, come back to us when you have found yourself a real home, and I will give you that painting as a token of appreciation for all you have done."

" Oh no, I couldn't accept that, its too expensive, I couldn't take something like that for free…I will giv…

" You will give us nothing, you have already given us so much, this is just paying you back."

" But."

" But nothing, we will give you this painting, and you will take it, without paying." Paul smiled, because he knew that Mirage didn't like to take anything without paying. This was his idea of a joke. He would get her to take it somehow without payment, but he loved to see her reaction.

" Well, I'd better be going, I still want to make it over to that new department store before the crowds come…I need something else to wear than just the usual thing.

" Well, I won't deter you then, can I count on seeing you tomorrow?"

" Most likely, unless I get sick and I am incapable of walking in some freakish epidemic that causes its victims to succumb to the sickness in a matter of seconds."

" I'll… take that as a yes, now don't be wasting time, its almost eleven, the worst time to go to any store is lunchtime, so you will have exactly one hour and then you'd better hightail it out of the store unless you want to get stampeded." He stopped mirage as she was walking out of the door. "Miss Mirage!"

" Yes?" she called back from the door."

" Might I suggest something black for your new outfit, it makes your eyes and hair stand out, very flattering for one such as yourself, and yes, that was a compliment." That last statement was added by Paul as a resolution to the quizzical look that overcame Mirage's features when he spoke.

" Compliment accepted, I will try to remember that, see you tomorrow!"

" Good day miss Mirage!"

The little bell on the door jingled as Mirage walked out of the gallery. She thought to herself, " If I can get over to the new store in less that fifteen minutes, I can avoid all of the crowds." She made her way through the bustling crowds, ever closer to her destination. She rounded the corner and began to walk down the sidewalk when a passing man, a very heavy man stepped on her foot. She cried out in pain and shouted back at the man… "OUCH! Hey! Why don't you watch where you're going?" the man replied, " duh, I'm sorry." She rolled her eyes and kept on walking. "This must be stupid citizen week…. Oww, my foot." She looked down at her foot and noticed that the area was bruised and gave her a slight limp. She chuckled aloud. " Well, as if anything else could happen to me. I already look like a hag, why not make it worse?" making her way down the street, she was very careful in avoiding heavy people and people who looked like they were in their own world. The department store, (untitled), was within her sight range. Crossing the street, she reached the glass doors of (untitled). The pain in her foot started to ease, but she still had a slight limp when she walked. She entered the doors mumbling o herself, " Idiot, I know I have small feet, but he could've been watching a little more carefully. If he wants to stare at the clouds like that, he should take a picture." She came to a stop when she got inside. The sights she saw inside the store amazed her. She had never seen a department store quite like this one. The first thing that came to her mind was the sheer size of it; to be blunt, it was just plain huge! She walked past the theft detectors and into the heart of the store. " Gosh, this place is huge!" Helen said to herself as she entered (untitled) and went into the women's department. "Now, I need to find something new to wear, something casual, and maybe a new pair of pajamas." Just as she went to a rack of shirts, she saw a woman walking to another rack of black halter-tops. She was tall, and had the most beautiful blonde hair. " Hmmm, that looks a lot like…" "ATTENTION SHOPPERS! WE ARE NOW HAVING A GRAND OPENING SALE ON ALL CLOTHING ITEMS! EFFECTIVE UNTIL MIDNIGHT TONIGHT!"

" A sale!" Thought Helen. " This must be my lucky day!"

" Wow, a sale already!" thought Mirage. "Maybe I should buy another outfit then."

"Man, I hate long lines, why do people have to buy so much stuff?" Helen said to herself as she was waiting in the checkout line." "At least this girl in front of me doesn't have too much stuff, she looks so familiar! I cant remember her name though, darn it I hate that!" 

" That will be 73.25$ ma'am." Said the cashier when Mirage was at the front of the line. Mirage handed the man her money and collected her bag. As she turned around, she went to look at the woman behind her and she almost jumped out of her skin. She dropped her bag, mouth agape, and finally managed to speak.

"Mrs. Incredible!"

"Mirage!"

To be continued…

Well, that was chapter three. I apologize for it being a cliffhanger, but I felt that it needed to be done . I hope you enjoyed chapter three. Keep checking back, cuz chapter four is not too far behind. Cya l8er!

Next chapter: well, it's happened, Mrs. Parr and mirage have met once again, will tension arise, or will a newfound friendship surface? Keep reading and find out! 


	4. Stay with us?

Hello all, I'm back with chapter four, I told you chapter four wouldn't be too far behind didn't I? The last chapter was a bit of a cliché cliffhanger, but this one won't be. I hope you enjoy it, and thanks again to all of my reviewers, u guys rule, seriously. I don't get many reviews as you can see, so I am writing this story for all of you at this point, as well as anyone else who reviews my stories. Well, enjoy chapter four! 

Chapter four- Conversations

The two women stood there, eyes locked, waiting for the other to speak, and after about a minute of silence, Mrs. Incredible finally spoke…

" Mirage...I...I cant believe I'm seeing you here, What is someone like you doing in a city like Metroville? What happened after we left Nomanisan?

" It's a very long story, but I don't want everyone and their uncle to find out, so how about we go to that little coffee shop down the street, we can talk there." Mirage said with a slight smile.

" It sounds good to me, just let me put my bags in my car and I'll drive us there." Helen said, those last words had and Incredulous tone to them. She thought to herself " Is this really the same Mirage? The one who was working for Syndrome, the one who was caught in the arms of my husband? What should I say? Oh Helen, what have you gotten yourself into now?"

" Ok" Helen answered back. Mirage was thinking to herself. " Wow, I never dreamed that this would happen. I have actually met up with Helen again, but why do I have to meet up with the one that hates me the most?" At that thought, Mirage, like clockwork, touched the spot on her cheek where Helen had slapped her, but noticing that Helen may be watching, snatched it away and continued walking.

" We're here, hop in while I chuck these bags in the trunk."

Mirage did as she was told, and soon enough they were driving toward the little coffee shop. The coffee shop was Mirage's escape, the people were friendly there, much like the little art gallery, but these people minded their own business. Not unlike Paul, she loved how Paul could crack a joke at anything, but these people could always tell whether you wanted to be bothered or not, and that was a courtesy she valued like life itself. The shop did have a name, but Mirage could never read the sign. The letters were written in a sort of modern art/graffiti style. The closest she got to solve it was "Java hut" but she could never be sure, and she dare not ask for fear of humiliation. The two women then got out of the car and walked into the shop. A young red headed waitress greeted them.

" Welcome ladies, our special today is "iced vanilla chai". For only two dollars band cover charge, our lounge is open to you all day, we have live jazz today, how about it?

"Actually," Mirage said, " A little music sounds good right about now, here you go." She handed the girl five dollars " Keep that, you never know, that may just save someone's guitar string one day." Mirage said, smiling. She girl stamped their hands and allowed them to pass directing them to the lounge, but before Mirage could pass, the girl grabbed her arm.

" Thank you for donating, we have only gotten a total of five people today, it may be only an extra dollar, but the donations are the only thing keeping the music alive."

" How many does the lounge seat?" Mirage asked.

" Thirty…"

" Oh dear, well, I will give them my regards."

" I wish the world had more people like you, oh look, I've kept you much too long, go ahead in and enjoy yourself." The waitress said with a smile.

" Thank you, I'm sure I will."

Helen looked back at Mirage, A skeptical look on her face. " Did she just pay for my cover charge? She didn't even ask me, this can't be the same Mirage, it just can't be, she's so open to everyone…and she's not in a business suit!"

Mirage walked up to Helen, and then they went to the little bar in the middle of the shop. Mirage ordered a French vanilla cappuccino, like she always did, and Helen ordered a mug of Vanilla Chai, the cost came to 7.50$, but before Helen could even think to touch her wallet, Mirage handed the man a 10$ bill. After collecting her change and handing Helen her chai, Helen spoke up.

" Ok, what's the occasion?"

" Occasion? None that I know of, why?"

" Well, first you pay my cover charge, then you buy my tea, how come?"

" It's, very simple. We sit in a lounge drinking tea and coffee while I tell you my very long story of what I have been doing for the past seven months. It's only fair that I buy your way in."

" Man she's got good logic…Well, I will pay you back when we get out of here."

" You will do nothing of the sort, this is an all expenses paid trip, all you can do for me is relax and listen to what I have to say…because that's what I need most of all."

Helen gasped at the tone of Mirage's voice; she hadn't expected Mirage to sound so downhearted…. "Now I feel horrible for saying some of the things I said about her, but how can I be sure if she can be trusted"  
The two women entered the lounge. It was a very calming place. The walls were a dull red, with a gold border around the middle. There were about four tables with five chairs each, and candles at every one. There were also two couches closer to the stage, where a group of about seven young men on the stage, a percussionist, tenor and alto saxophonists, a trumpet player, a jazz clarinet, a bass guitarist, and a baritone tuba, and a man on conga drums. The two decided to sit down on one of the couches, away from the mass of people…what few there were. There was one couple, a middle aged one, they were dancing, and the three teens were talking and laughing amongst themselves. Mirage and Helen put their mugs down on the coffee table in front of the couch and like last time, Helen spoke first.

" Mirage, answer me one question, Syndrome…in all that time you were working for him…did you ever have any…feelings for him?

" Damnit, why does everyone think that!" the aggravated tone in her voice rose with every word. " So what is it in this world today, you work with someone for a few years and you instantly love them? There is no one word in Webster's entire dictionary that could describe how much I hated him. I laughed when I figured out he was dead."

"Ouch…I never realized how strongly you felt about him, but then, why did you even say yes when he offered you a job?"

" I needed work, I will leave it at that, and he needed laborers, so I signed a six year contract, legally binding me to his labor system. I couldn't get out of it if I wanted to, so I am more than thankful that you came when you did. You gave me the conditions I needed to get off of that asylum island."

" But, why did you help him kill all of those supers? All of those horrible things you did in his name?"

Mirage thought about the question for a minute, and the look of anger on her face slowly changed to a look of depression, she looked as if she could burst into tears at any minute. So from that point on, Helen was very careful about what she said…

" I don't know why…I just don't…. It's horrible, but the contract bound me to him, I had no choice…. All of those inventions, he could've killed me with a snap of his fingers. I always felt bad about it, I never should have done it, but…I don't know….

Mirage turned her head away form Helen, refusing to make eye contact.

" But what he forgot…. Was that I am a super too… I was just afraid…so afraid, because as much as I wanted to rid the world of him…he more than likely would've beaten me to it."

Helen gasped…"You are a super?" Mirage nodded, still refusing to make eye contact. Her head turned around again though, when a low, guttural sound came from Helen.

" Oh, that Syndrome, all of the lives he took… Fathers, brothers, mothers, gone…. He's lucky the jet turbine killed him because had I gotten my hands on him!"

Helen raised her fist, and Mirages mind began to race. " Oh god, she's going to hit me again. Why? Have I said something wrong?" Mirage gasped, and her hands instantly went up to her face. Helen realized what had just happened…and she spoke…

" Oh my god, you thought I was going to hit you… you're still thinking about that?" Helen relaxed into the couch again, a rueful look progressing over her face. She spoke again when Mirage's hands came down from her face

" Look Mirage, I…I don't know what to say, what else can I say except for I'm sorry?" its just, when I walked into that room, and I saw you two hugging like that, I didn't know what happened. I just saw red, you must know what I'm talking about."

" As a matter of fact I do, and if I may say so, you have every right to be protective, I can see exactly why you would be mad. However, I don't think there's anything to worry about, he cares for you too much to be unfaithful, that's exactly why he was hugging me, because I had just told him that you were alive and safe."

"So he was just thanking you, you did help him escape."

" Yes."

" See, I didn't believe him when he said that…If only I had, you could've been spared a big red handprint on your cheek."

" It doesn't matter, it's in the past now…my atonement has begun, I swear on my life that I will make up for every wrong deed that I have done in Syndrome's name. I cannot replace a life, but I can make up for what I've done by helping other people with lives worse than death."

" Which is why you donated extra to the band?"

" You would be correct…oh they're playing "In the Mood"  
This is one of my favorite songs in the jazz genre"

The two women sat, listening to the jazz band, but while the band was playing, Mirage was tapping her foot in rhythm, Helen was wracking her brain…

" I never thought I would see this light of Mirage She's so different, I hardly recognize her. I feel like…like she can be trusted…maybe I should…but wait, what If she's just trying to fool me, what if this is all a big joke like last time? I just hope I'm not wrong… Well, only one way to find out…"

The last notes faded out, and the band received a hearty round of applause, once the people had quieted Mirage and Helen faced each other again, but Helen, throwing all caution to the wind, turned around with a question this time.

" Hey Mirage?"

" Yes?"

" It's been really great getting to know you. You've changed from a husband-stealing enemy, to someone who I might even call my friend, in one day even…. I'd like it a lot if you'd come join our family for dinner tonight."

Mirage's eyes widened. Did she hear Helen correctly? Mirage was now happier than she had been in almost seven years.

" It's been great getting to know you as well. I had always thought of you as friends, but I was uncertain of whether you felt the same or not, but all that aside…I accept your invitation." Mirage smiled the first genuine smile she had shown in a very long time.

" Great, let me just give Bob a call, I'm sure he'll be happy to see you too."

" Wow…this is almost too good to be true, but this could be my only chance to finally prove to them that I want them as my friends…ok Mirage, relax, you can do this…"

" Kids! Can one of you get the phone?" Bob called to his children, but when no one replied, he scrambled to the phone himself, sauce covered hands and all…

" Hello?" said Bob, losing the tone of formality when he realized that it was his wife.

" Hey honey, it's me, listen, I'm gonna need you to set another place at the dinner table, were having a guest."

" Ok, who is it? Do I know them?"

" Of course you know them, but I won't tell you who it is until tonight."

" Why?"

" I just wont, It's a surprise." Helen chuckled. " But I've gotta go now, I still have to pick up wine from the liquor store, and I'm driving our guest home to get ready."

" You have them there with you? Tell me who it is!"

" Nope, it's a surprise, I will see you tonight at…uhhh, what time are we eating?"

" Around seven thirty, why can't you tell me!"

" Because I can't. Now I've gotta go, I love you."

" I love you too…bye." Bob hung up the phone, pouting like a five year old child.

Helen hung up the phone, still laughing at her husband's state of confusion. Mirage had a clueless look on her face as well.

" I wouldn't tell him that it was you, that's why you heard all that shouting on the phone."

" Ohhhhh." Said mirage.

" So where do you live? I'll drive you there."

" You really don't gave to go through all the trouble you know, I can walk."

" Don't worry about it, this saves time, where do you live"  
"I'm staying in a hotel, it's no too far from here, its called "Metroville Suites."

" Oh yeah, I know what your talking about, twenty stories right?"

" I think so, why?"

" Because there are two of the same hotel in this city, but one only has ten stories, and it's a lot farther away from here."

" Makes sense, but in that case, the liquor store is a little out of our way, I will walk and meet you there."

" Don't worry about it. We've got time to kill, now let's get out of here, we have to be home by seven-thirty."

" Alright… Let's go."

So, the two women, after giving additional tips to the band, exited the coffee shop and drove away in Helen's car… Back at the house, Bob was trying to figure out who this mysterious "guest" was that his wife had been telling him about, and Violet was trying to aid him in guessing.

" I'm telling you dad, it's Lucius, and the guest is Honey, we never see her dad, trust me on this one."

" Somehow I don't think so Vi, I would have heard him in the background."

" True, but who else do we know? How about Edna?"

" No, Edna hardly ever comes out this far from her house, and you know how she always calls before coming." Bob rolled his eyes at the thought…Edna wasn't one to have short phone calls

" Yeah…"

" Then who could it be?" the two said in unison, until Dash came in to give his opinion.

" Maybe its Syndrome, brought back from the dead by his blood-sucking minions. Muahahahahahahahahah!"

" No dash, you know that Syndrome was killed in the explosion, I don't think there would be enough left of him to revive." Said Bob.

" Just a thought." Dash added, still caught up in his fantasies of vampires and monsters…

" So Mirage, what kind of wine do you like?"

" Well, I like Chardonnay, but I'm not picky, whatever you decide."

" You're the guest, you can pick."

" No, I insist, I said I'm not picky, you decide."

" Well, alright, are you sure?"

" Positive."

" Fine, are you alright with Merlot then?"

" That sounds good."

" Ok, let's pay for it and I will take you home."

Helen paid for the wine and they were in the car once again. After about five minutes they reached the hotel Mirage was staying at.

" Alright, now, don't be too long, we only have about forty-five minutes or so."

" You can come in you know, this hotel does allow guests, as most, if not all of them do."

" I don't want to be annoying, you probably want to change, redo make-up, and fix your hair, I'd just be underfoot."

" I don't mind, I'm not particularly affected by people underfoot when I'm putting makeup on. I don't even wear much make-up come to think of it."

" Alright then."

They walked into the lobby of the hotel and called the elevator, when it came, they stepped inside and Mirage pressed the button for the eleventh floor. As they were going up, Mirage had begun to rummage through her purse for her room key, and Helen had subconsciously began to stare at her. She had begun to think… " It's almost as if she can't find it. It's like now that she's off of that island, she's a whole new person. A more relaxed, open person She's not an uptight businesswoman anymore... I think I like the new Mirage a whole lot better." She was ripped from her thoughts by Mirage announcing that they had reached the eleventh floor. The rooms were each given a letter, and Mirage's room was room 11-C. She swiped her room key and the two entered the room. Helen was surprised, It was a fairly big room, and it was immaculate, absolutely nothing was out of place. One thing Helen noticed was that there were hardly any personal belongings.

" Hey, Mirage, this place is really clean, abnormally so, how much of this stuff is yours?"

Mirage walked out of the bathroom, a toothbrush in her hand

" Not much, as you an tell, I didn't have many belongings on Nomanisan, everything I needed was there already, but I manage."

" How'd you get the money to stay here? You didn't steal it did you?"

" Of course not! I wouldn't do anything of the sort. How I got the money is the one reason that I tolerated Syndrome. Upon my arrival at the island, he explained to me how rich his company was. He said to me that if something should ever happen to him, a portion, although a very small portion would be given to me as a sort of last will and testament. After Syndrome's death, I was able to collect the money from agent Rick Dicker.

" Wow, you know Rick?"

" Yes, he was the one who froze all of Syndrome's assets, he was the one who contacted me after Syndrome's death, he knew I needed the money and could put it to good use."

" That's good, it seems as though you live pretty comfortably here, this size a nice sized room."

" Yes, it is, although it does get rather lonely up here, I'm afraid I don't know anyone in this whole hotel."

" Are you serious? I figured you'd have a lot of friends."

"No, If you can believe this, I've never had any friends, only when I was very young, I don't remember them."

" That's so horrible, everyone needs friends."

" Not really, I've learned to defy that statement. I was too busy on Nomanisan to even have time to think about friends."

" It's such a shame, you really are a nice person…oh jeez, its almost seven thirty, we'll talk more at my house, hurry up and get ready."

" Ok." Mirage went back into the bathroom and began to brush her teeth, after finishing that, she brushed her hair and put it into a ponytail. "I never thought I would ever hear her call me a nice person, or invite me over to her house. I can't wait to see Bob and the kids again, it seems like it's been forever." Taking one last glance in the mirror, she changed her clothes and walked out of the bathroom. She came out wearing a pair of blue jeans and a navy blue top.

" That looks nice. Now lets go before Bob keels over with hunger."

" Sounds like a good plan to me, lets go"  
They boarded the elevator and were soon back on the ground. Getting into Helen's car they took off down the road for the Parr family's home. Back at the house, Bob was going crazy trying to get dinner ready and figure out the mystery guest at the same time.

" Maybe it's my mother, or Mr. Huph…grrr, who is it!"

" Dad, calm down! The lasagna is going to burn!" Said Violet

" Oh!" exclaimed Bob, running over to the oven to remove the lasagna. He was sick of trying to figure this out, why would his wife keep something so simple a secret from him? He had just put the lasagna down on the table when he heard the door open. " Finally, I can figure out who this "guest" is…I just hope it's not my mother. He opened the door, seeing only his wife.

" Nice joke honey, you made me spend almost tree hours guessing for nothing, so, how was your day off?"

" What are you talking about Bob? What do you mean for nothing? I said I had a guest, and I do, she's right out here."

" Oh no, it's a she? It's my mother isn't it?"

" Your mother? Why on earth would it be your mother?"

" I don't know, but can you please just show me who it is? I've been dying to know all day!" Bob was beginning to get fed up with his wife's tricks. Meanwhile outside, Mirage was holding her breath trying not to laugh.

" Alright, do you really want to know? I guess I can only keep you guessing for so long, you can come in now."

Bob quieted down long enough to notice a girl walk through the door, she was tall, very thin, and had beautiful blonde hair. Bob's eyes widened, because he knew instantly who it was.

" MIRAGE!" Exclaimed Bob. Mirage barely had enough time to wave her hand before she was caught up in the arms of the overjoyed man, although this time is was different. She was not elevated off the ground, and her arms were not pinned to her sides. It was also under the eyes of his wife, so there would not be any false ideas. She was enjoying the bear hug, although it was potentially enough to crush her. He was the first one who had shown her any signs of friendship, he was the one who had brought Syndrome to his death, and she was very grateful for that.  
Returning the hug, and almost reluctant to let go, she was greeted by Dash and Violet.

"Hey! Mirage, what brings you here?" Said violet, surprised but strangely happy to see Mirage at the door.

" I met your mom in town and she invited me to come for dinner, it's nice to see you again Violet."

" You too." Violet was soon interrupted by Dash, who was very surprised to see a stranger at his door.

" Uh, mom, who is that?" pointing to Mirage.

" Don't point Dash, don't you remember Mirage? She was the one who helped us get into Syndrome's computer, the one who helped us launch the rocket." Dash smiled, his memory refreshed.

" Oh yeah, now I remember, hi Mirage!"

" Hello Dash, It's nice to see you again."

" Ok, now that the formalities are over, let's go sit in the living room until the raviolis are done."

The family led Mirage into their living room, where she joined them on the couch. Dash began to tell Mirage his version of how he "beat" Syndrome, which of course made her laugh. Violet began to make fun of Dash, with Mirage listening intently and making remarks every so often. Bob and Mirage began to have an intelligent conversation about the withdrawal of the super-relocation act, which began to bore the kids, so they turned on the T.V and began to watch cartoons. The conversation was interrupted by Helen informing them that dinner was ready. Bob, Mirage, Violet, and Dash all walked into the dining room to see Helen setting the table and pouring drinks for everyone. Violet and Dash chose their favorite soda, Jack-Jack had baby formula as always, and Mirage, Bob, and Helen had wine. They all sat down at the table while Helen was passing out food.

" Bob, how big of a lasagna piece do you want?"

" Pretty big honey, I'm starving!"

" How bout you Mirage?"

" Just a small one please."

" Ok, here you go, Dash?"

" I'll take a piece near the edge of the pan, I love the burnt pieces"

" Got it, how many ravioli do you want Vi?"

" Uh, five or six should be good."

With that, Helen went into the kitchen and got the plate of raviolis, giving Violet six, she passed out garlic bread, and put out a tossed salad along with about four different dressings. They began to eat dinner in silence, until a shriek from Violet made everyone jump

" AHH! DASH!" Violet screamed, until the rest if the family turned their heads to see a blob of sauce running down Violet's left cheek

" Dashiell Robert Parr, did you do that to your sister?"

" Aww come on mom, her face was turned to the side, she set herself up."

" FOR ONCE I DIDN'T SAY A WORD TO YOU! AND YOU FLING SAUCE AT ME? I SWEAR DASH, YOU ARE SO DEAD WHEN I GET MY HANDS ON YOU!"

Violet was about to fling herself at her brother when a noise stopped her…What was that noise? It was coming from a human whatever it was…Mr. and Mrs. Parr heard it too, and they turned their heads all around trying to find the source of the noise. They finally found it, but no one could believe what it was.

" Hey! See mom? Mirage is on my side, she's laughing!"

Helen and Bob looked skeptically at Mirage who was, just like Dash said, laughing. Bob gasped, this was the first time he or anyone else at the table had ever heard Mirage laugh, It was a beautiful sound, and it wasn't at all annoying like most people when they laugh too hard. As Mirage was still almost hysterically laughing over at her seat, another laugh joined hers. It wasn't Dash, he had been snickering the whole time, no, this voice was clearly feminine…It was Violet, Mirage's laughter had also triggered Violet's and before they knew it, the whole dinner table was teeming with laughter. After about five minutes of bubbling laughter, mirage, still wiping tears from her eyes, spoke in between chuckles.

" That…was the hardest I've laughed in a very long time, and it was all because of a little bit of sauce. It was a nice joke on Dash's part, even though it was at Violet's expense, but do my ears deceive me? You were laughing too weren't you Violet?"

" Yeah, well, I should have known Dash would try to pull something like that, he did the last time spaghetti sauce was available."

" Same spot?"

" No, last time it got in my ear, you do NOT want a sauce filled ear Mirage believe me!"

Mirage was once again rolling with laughter. The combination of the wine and the laughter made he cheeks turn a rosy pink, and she looked like her old self again for the first time in many years, her old self before Syndrome, and before he turned her into the stereotype "perfect business women" that she was now. Her and the kids were still in fits of laughter, so they didn't notice Bob and Helen get up and leave for the kitchen…

" Do you see that Helen?"

" What am I supposed to see?

" Mirage, look at her."

" I see her, she's laughing hysterically."

" Exactly, look how much fun she's having, look how happy she is, and she only just got here."

" Yeah, I know, but why drag me away from the table to tell me about it?"

" Because I think she needs this, I think we should ask her to stay."

" Stay! Here! With us? Do you trust her that much?"

" Come on Helen, don't pull the whole trust thing on me, she needs this more than any of us, she needs a home. How would you like it if you had no family to go to and had to stay in a hotel all the time?"

" How do you know she doesn't have a family?"

" Helen, does she look like the kind of person that would avoid her family?"

" No…. But we don't know that for sure… Look, all I'm saying is that what if this is just another joke; you remember last time...

"She was doing Syndrome's bidding! Why are you so reluctant to give her a second chance?"

" I don't know... I just don't want her to hurt anyone…especially our kids, Syndrome tried to abduct Jack-Jack once and what if Mirage is back to try the same thing?"

" Come on Helen, maternal instincts would prevent anything like that, and you know that better than I do…Helen the girl needs a home, and we've got that extra room. You would do it for any homeless stranger, why not do it for Mirage"

" I know…but…. Ok honey, she can stay, I trust you, we can ask her after desert. I just hope you know what you are doing... and if anything goes wrong…you're gonna be the one to deal with it. This is your decision. "

" Yeah, I know…desert huh? What did you make?"

" Cannolis and ice cream, something simple."

Bob got an evil glint in his eyes

" Surrender the Cannolis, or face the consequences."

"Oh yeah? Well bring it on Mr. Incredible."

Bob chuckled, wrapped his arms around his wife, and slowly brought her in for a passionate kiss. Back out in the dining room, Dash had challenged Mirage to staring contest, Jack-Jack had begun to laugh, and Violet was trying to distract Dash, but he wasn't about to lose.

" Are your eyes getting tired Dash?"

" Nope, how 'bout you Mirage?"

" No way, I'm not about to lose to a child."

" Well, I'm not about to lose to a girl1"

" Fire." Mirage had begun to chant

" Wuh?"

" Desert."

" Stop it!"

" Steam."

" Argh!"

" Sand." That was all Mirage had time for before Dash's eyelids made contact and she was victorious.

" Ha! You blinked, I win!" She smiled triumphantly. Dash was about to retaliate when Helen and Bob walked in with ice cream and a tray of Canollis.

" Aw mom! You missed it, Mirage beat Dash in a staring contest!" Said Violet.

" Yeah, well, she cheated, no chanting the names of hot things allowed!" Said Dash, his ego crushed.

" Dash just has trouble living with the fact that I beat him." said Mirage as she was handed a Canolli.

The rest of the meal went on in silence pretty much. Dash was still in a slump over being beaten by a girl. Violet was always quiet during desert, something about enjoying the short-lived bliss of junk food. Bob and Helen kept exchanging glances, they were looking for the right moment to ask Mirage their big question; and Mirage was trying to cure her sore throat with the ice cream, when she said that she hadn't laughed like that in years, she meant it. After everyone was done eating, Bob and Helen gave a mutual nod and began to speak.

" Hey mirage?" Bob said

" Yes?" Mirage's voice was still slightly hoarse

" Helen and I have a question to ask you."

Mirage put down her spoon. " I'm all ears."

" Helen and I had a talk, and we were discussing the past few days. Being off that island has shown your true self to us, but we still can't escape the fact that a hotel room isn't exactly a home, so…after a decision that Helen and I made together…we'd like you to stay with us." Bob said as he wrapped an arm around his wife's shoulders.  
Mirage couldn't believe what she was hearing. She was sure that she was delirious. Pinching her arm she realized that it wasn't a dream. She felt as if she had died. What was she going to say? She was almost sure she was going to stutter.

" I...I couldn't do that, your family is already big enough, I would just be a nuisance. Pinching herself to make sure that she wasn't dreaming she figured out that this was real and spoke in an unsteady tone. T...There's no way I would do that to you." Inside, her mind was screaming " No! What are you talking about? You need a home, what better place to find one than with these people, your first friends in almost seven years!"

" Don't be silly Mirage, we have a guest room that you can stay in, and if you are willing, we could always use the extra help around the house."

Mirage was staring down at her lap, twisting the tablecloth around in her hands. Would she say yes? Or would she turn down the only chance she might ever have to have a home? "This is too much pressure!" she thought to herself." Throwing all doubt behind her, She stood up and walked over to Bob, who was now also standing. Making her decision, she stretched out her hand to Bob, smiling from ear to ear as she did so. Bob, now overjoyed by her decision, took her hand, and once again pulled her into a hug. Smiling and once again returning the hug, she was torn from her trance by Bob.

" We'll all go with you tonight to get your stuff from the hotel."

" Are you sure? Maybe I should come tomorrow."

" Positive, an occasion like this requires immediate action, why should you have to spend one more night in a hotel room?"

They all pitched in to help clean up the dinner table. Even little Jack-Jack tried to wash dishes by spitting all over them. When they finished, they got into the car and drove down the road, bound for Mirage's hotel. When they got up in front of it. Mirage and the rest of the family got out and entered the doors.

" Now, when were all done here, we can put all of the luggage in my car." Mirage said.

" Oh, that's right, I forgot you had a car, well, if you need any more room, you can put some of the stuff in our car."

" Sounds good, let me just go pay the final fee and we can go up, hold the elevator for me."

" Ok." Said Bob. Mirage went over to the receptionist desk to pay any remaining fees; she would hand in her room key when they were done unloading. When she was done, she got into the elevator and headed for the eleventh floor once again. Once they were up there, Mirage swiped her room key and they entered room 11-C. Mirage could be any happier about the fact that she was seeing it for the last time.

" This is a nice room Mirage, now, where is all of your stuff?" Bob said, noticing how empty the room was.

" If you'll look next to the bathroom, there is a little closet, my suitcases are all in there, there are three of them, I still have to pack up my things. Violet and Dash, you may watch TV if you like, I do get that cartoon channel you were watching." Dash and Violet instantly smiled.

" ALL RIGHT!" they shouted in unison as they scrambled over to the TV and turned it on it on. Their giggles and unintelligible muttering could be heard from the closet as Mirage and Helen were carrying two suitcases into the main room. Mirage and Helen busied themselves with putting all of Mirage's clothes and shoes into the biggest suitcase. Mirage had to constantly tell Helen that she wasn't fat because when Helen saw the size of Mirage's outfits, it made her feel fat. So, while the two were bickering about that, Bob was trying to break up the fight between his two kids and keep Jack-Jack under control at the same time. Violet kept insisting that she keep the remote, while Dash had his own opinion about that, and he made it very clear. When Mirage and Helen finished the clothes project, the moved to the bathroom to put toiletries in the next biggest suitcase. Mirage didn't carry many toiletries, just the essentials, but even then it was enough to fill a whole suitcase. The last suitcase was used for anything that didn't fit the toiletry or clothing category. They added numerous books and her laptop to the suitcase, but that was about it. When they were done, Mirage fell backwards onto the bed one last time.

" It's certainly going to be nice to have a home again." She closed her eyes, giving a sigh. Bob looked at his wife with an " I told you so" look, and Jack-Jack was starting to fall asleep in Helen's arms. Mirage sat upright all of a sudden, making the rest of the family jump. How could she forget that? " Sorry to scare you all, I just forgot something." She reached under her bed and pulled out a trunk, it was painted blue, or at least it was blue at one time, and it was about the size and depth of a large toolbox. After adding that to her pile of suitcases, they decided it was time to leave. Bob and Mirage took the suitcases into the elevator while Helen held Jack-Jack. When they reached the lobby again, Mirage went to hand in her room key while Violet took over the suitcase. When she was done, they went out of the hotel and into the parking lot looking for Mirage's car. When they found it, Violet fell in love with it instantly. It was a sports car, although a very simple one. It wasn't all "tricked out" like what most people define as a sports car. It was, however, a convertible and had a satellite radio installed.

"Mom! Can I ride home with Mirage? Please?"

" No honey."

" Why not Helen? I don't mind."

" She'd just be a pest, you've got a lot to do tonight."

" I would not!"

" Really Helen, if she wants to ride with me then she may, I wouldn't mind the company."

" Are you sure? All you have to say is no."

" I'm positive, come on Violet."

" Yes!"

Sticking her tongue out at her mother before they left the parking lot, they got into Mirage's car, put the top down, and left the hotel. Driving home, Violet and Mirage were having great time.

" Oh my god Mirage, you have the best taste in music, I swear if you didn't look older than me, You would fit right in at my school."

" Oh really? I didn't think that kids your age liked this kind of music."

" You have no idea…let's see what else is on your playlist… Oh! I love this song!"

" What is it? I can't see it right now."

" One" by Metallica."

" Ok, that's one of my favorites too, put it on."

Violet switched to the song and pretty soon both girls were listening intently to the music. As the last notes faded out, " Behind these Hazel Eyes" by Kelly Clarkson came on, but Mirage quickly switched it to the next song.

" Why'd you do that? I love this song." Violet asked

" Let's just say it relates too much to what I was going through for seven months straight and I do not wish to be reminded of it."

" Oh…. But I thought you didn't love Syndrome…this song is about losing someone you love."

" If you interpret that way…but even if I didn't love him, he hurt me just the same."

" He didn't rape you did he?"

" You are so much like your mother, she said the same thing. No he never did anything sexual to me…except trying to kiss me multiple times, but he quickly became acquainted to the back of my hand and that was the end of it. However, he still kept me under a contract for almost five years against my will, and he… I've said way too much now…" Mirage's voice trailed off…. Violet broke the silence.

" He what? You started to say something."

" Never mind, forget I said anything. Maybe you will learn the whole story later."

" Grown-ups never tell me anything…don't you trust me?"

" Of course I do, but I just don't think you, or even your mom or dad are ready to learn my story…but soon maybe. Trust me, when the time comes, I will tell you all"

" Fine, I understand… one more question, you brought out that little trunk when we left, what's in it?"

" Personal items, I think you would do well to stay out of it, your family too." She received a questioning look from Violet. "What? Don't you have a box of private stuff too?"

" Nope…. How could you even think that with a kid like Dash around."

Mirage and Violet began to laugh. They were stopped at a red light when some guys began to shout at Mirage.

" Hey Babe, how's about you ditch the brat and come for a ride with us?"

" Get lost jerk" She wanted to avoid all bad language around violet " Go get a job and a real life, then talk to me. Looking at you right now, you're not even worth the pavement on the road."

" Ooh, a wise one are you? Well, we'll see how wise you are after this. We race, and if we win, you come with us pretty lady!" shouted the older teen in the backseat

" Fair enough."

" Mirage! What are you doing? You could get hurt! Or arrested!"

" Trust me violet, I know what I'm doing."

" Alright Babe? You ready? On your mark, get set, Go!"

Mirage revved the engine of her car, and the guys in the car took off, but Mirage didn't. The guys were already way in front of them when the light turned green and Mirage continued on her way, looking in the rearview mirror to make sure that the idiots weren't following her because at the speed they were going, they might already have been behind her. When she realized that they weren't, she turned to Violet, who's jaw was wide open.

" That was so cool, I didn't know that you knew how to fool thugs like that!"

" Well, you learn a lot arounda bunch of stupid guards." Mirage chuckled, but her face instantly changed to a look of utter seriousness. "Just don't tell your mother about this, it could get both you and me in trouble."

" Got it. Ok, new topic, we're almost home. Mom can tell what your thinking just by your expression."

" So, are you looking forward to school tomorrow?" Mirage was desperately looking for an innocent topic.

" Oh yes, I'm exploding with excitement" Violet said sarcastically, laughing to herself at Mirage's desperation for a topic.

They pulled into the driveway and were greeted by the rest of the family.

" Hey guys what took you so long?" said Bob, carrying one of mirage's suitcases up to the porch.

" We took the long way, there was a traffic jam on the other route." Lied Mirage, although she was horrible at doing so. She carried her other suitcases and the trunk up to the porch, where bob let them all into the house.

" Yeah, we were stuck in it, it's a good thing you guys took the long way."

Mirage had a shocked look on her face… " I thought that was a lie!" she said to herself.

"I'm going to put Jack-Jack to bed, Mirage, come with me and I'll show you your room."

" Ok."

Mirage followed Helen down the hall to the bedrooms. Helen put Jack-Jack in his room and then helped Mirage carry her stuff into the room across the hall. Mirage was amazed. It was a big room, although not as big as her other room. It had a queen-sized bed and a Chest of drawers in the right corner next to the bed. It also had a television, a nightstand with a small lamp on it, and a door on the left side of the room that connected to the bathroom. The walls were painted a pale lavender, with hardwood floors and a dark purple border around the top of the wall.

" What a beautiful room this is." Said Mirage

" I'm glad you like it, I always thought it was kinda plain well, it's only 9:30, so when the kid's go to bed around ten, you, Bob, and I can do something, because I'm sure you don't like to go to bed early."

" You would be correct, but as true as that is I am quite tired tonight, so midnight will be my curfew."

" Alright, oh…jeez how stupid of me, you've been in the house nearly a half-hour now and I haven't offered you a tour." Helen stated, feeling like a terrible host. Her statement was followed by a chuckle from Mirage. " Come on, Bob can deal with the kids for a few minutes."

Helen led mirage around the house room by room. Showing her both bathrooms, the bedrooms, the whole downstairs and the backyard. When their other house was destroyed by Syndrome, agent Rick Dicker was able to relocate them to a different house in the same town. The good thing about their new house was that it was in the same town, and it had a pool.

" That's a nice pool, how warm is it?" Asked Mirage

" It stays pretty warm, it's about 78 degrees right now."

" Wow, does it stay that warm all season?"

" Yep, sometimes it even rises above 80."

" Wow."

" Tomorrow we can go for a swim if you like, do you own a bathing suit?"

" Yes, but I'm afraid the top is getting a bit too small, it's been washed too many times." Said Mirage

" It'll be fine for tomorrow, we can go shopping on Tuesday."

" That sounds good…" Said Mirage tiredly.

" Yeah, he went to put Dash and Violet to bed…it is almost 10:30 after all. Dash is never going to get up in the morning."

" I'm sure with the right persuasion he will."

" And that would be?" Asked Helen, confused.

" Well, all it takes is a few well placed drops of water and the right force applied to the covers." Mirage chuckled after the statement.

" Ahhh, ripping the covers off and squirting him with water…. Why didn't I think of that before?" Helen was thinking about the matter when she caught Mirage stifling a yawn. " You're tired aren't you? Well, lets go inside and get ready for bed."

" Ok." Mirage followed Helen into the house, her eyelids becoming heavy. Bob greeted them at the door.

" Shhhh!" he said. " I just put the kids to bed. Dash is never going to get up in the morning."

" I know, I said the same thing to Mirage." Helen said, looking back at Mirage.

" Well, as our guest, Mirage, you get first bathroom privilege."

Mirage walked slowly down the hall into her room and gathered her pajamas, her toothbrush, and her hairbrush. Walking into the bathroom she quickly got changed into her pajamas, blue pants and a white cami, and began to brush her teeth. When she had finished that, she picked up her hairbrush and began to brush her hair. Giving one last glance into the mirror, she opened the door and went out of the bathroom. Bob and Helen took turns saying their good-nights, earning another bone-crushing hug from Bob, but Mirage was shocked to find herself in the embrace of Helen as well. " Gosh…. To think she once hated me." Mirage thought to herself.  
Walking into her room, she flipped the light switch off and climbed into bed. It was comfortable to say the least. The sheets weren't silky like the hotel ones, but they were very soft flannel sheets. The comforter was thick, but not unbearably so. Mirage closed her eyes, and for the first time in she couldn't remember how long, Mirage slept all the way through the night. Her dreams were free of nightmares, but still rather blank… Or more like those dreams where one can't recall ever dreaming at all. Mirage subconsciously decided that not remembering a dream is better than one that you can't seem to forget. She slept soundly, knowing that she would wake up felling better than she had in almost seven years…

A/n- Well, what did you think? I need to know! This is currently the longest chapter in my entire story…. I wasn't rushing was I? I had a lot of fun writing this chapter so I hope it's what you all expected. Before I go, Let me just give a shout out to Metallica and Kelly Clarkson. These, among many other songs (I will say names later on) have been my muses for many of these ideas. " Behind these hazel eyes" especially. I had just heard the song a few weeks before writing the part where I mentioned the song, and Mirage instantly came into my head. Put aside the fact that it may be about love, it fits her almost perfectly. I think I also figured out how to e-mail the songs, so if you want to hear them, but don't feel like spending the money, tell me in your review and I will send them to you. And yes, I paid for them, so don't get the wrong ideas. On another note, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter and chapter five is on the way. Hopefully sometime this or next month…I have been way to busy lately. Ok, now I'm just chewing you ear off, so if you have read this far, thank you for taking the time. Cya next chapter!


	5. First Day

A/N- Hey everyone! I'm here with chapter five! Sorry it took so long to update! I've been seriously busy. So, I hope u all enjoy it! 

Chapter five

Mirage awoke to the rays of light reaching her eyes. Her sat up in bed and looked at the clock. "6:30?" She thought, "that's the latest I've slept in a long time." Getting out of bed, she yawned and gave a big stretch. She wandered over to her closet and chose an outfit for the day, A pair of jeans and a black cami. Going into the bathroom, she got changed and brushed her teeth. Looking in the mirror, she brushed her hair and threw it back into a ponytail.

Walking out of the bathroom, she made her bed and walked out in the living room. " What a switch, no one's up." She thought to herself as she noticed that the living room was empty. She sat down on the couch and turned on the TV it was the first time in a while she had actually had the time to sit down and watch T.V. She found herself laughing at jokes and jumping at scary moments. " This is fun…I missed too much on that dumb island." She thought to herself, looking at the clock. " Oh my god, I've been sitting here for a whole hour! This is the most time I've had to sit and do nothing for almost seven years!" She flipped through a few more channels and reluctantly pulled herself off of the couch.

She walked into the kitchen and began to think. " Hmm, at this rate they're going to sleep through breakfast…maybe I should make something… pancakes and sausage? Or maybe Bacon, eggs, and toast…that sounds good…ok, let's see here." She looked in the cabinet and took out the bread and coffee mix. Putting the coffee in the coffeemaker (no really?) and putting the bead in the toaster, She went into the refrigerator and took out some eggs and bacon. " Now…I wonder where their frying pans are…" She thought to herself. Searching around for a little while, she finally found the drawer where the pots and pans were kept. She took out a large one and a medium one. Putting the eggs in the medium one and the bacon in the large one, she put the first round of toast on a plate and put a second round in. Down the hall in the master bedroom, Bob was awakened by a delicious odor.

" Mm, that smells good, I wonder why Helen's up so early?"

He put his hand on the space next to him, but he felt something soft under it…his wife was still in bed, sleeping peacefully until his hand hit her in the chin.

" unhh…Bob…what're you doing? It's so early." She was barely awake at this point.

" I'm sorry honey, I thought you were awake already."

" Why would you think that? I'm never up early… I used to be able to get up, but not now."

" Well, someone is, do you smell that?" Bob said. Helen sniffed the air.

" Yeah, it smells really good."

" But who is it? Could it be Violet or Dash?"

When they both realized who it was, they were wide-awake.

" Mirage." They said in unison.

Back out in the kitchen, Mirage was sipping a cup of coffee, waiting for the bacon and eggs to be done. She was staring at a bird that was perched on the tree outside of the window. It was a beautiful bird. She was enjoying it. On Nomanisan, birds were uncommon; they hid within the deep jungle of the island. The more common animals included snakes, lizards, and bugs. God how she hated the bugs. Waking up in the morning to a spider dangling ten inches above her head was not one of the most pleasant experiences. When the bird finally flew away, she began to put the bacon and eggs on a plate and was greeted by two voices.

" Mirage? What are you doing up so early?"

" Well, you have Nomanisan to thank for that. On that island, sleeping in was like a crime. I made some breakfast, help yourselves. There's coffee too."

" Wow, you really didn't have to go through all the trouble" Bob said.

" Well, the way I see it, you didn't have to go through all the trouble of having a houseguest. Now let's eat before it gets cold. Should I wake the children up?"

" I should hate to see them miss a meal like this. You can if you want to."

Mirage nodded and disappeared down the hallway. She went into Violet's room first.

" Violet…Violet! Are you awake?"

" Ugh…whozzat… M'rage? What're you doing up so early."

" I'm just a morning person. I made breakfast, are you interested?"

" I guess… I am kinda hungry. Are my mom and dad awake?"

" Yes, they just got up not too long ago. Should I try to wake your brother up?"

" Psh! Good luck with that."

Mirage smiled. " See you in the kitchen." Violet nodded and Mirage was gone from the room, bound for the horror that was dash's room. She opened the door and almost tripped on a shoe. Dodging the things on the floor, she finally made it to the lump of covers that was the sleeping Dash.

" Dash…Dash…Earth to dash."

" Mhumfgidlop." Mirage stifled a laugh.

" I know you're in there Dashiell, speak to me."

" C'mon mom, it's too early…five more minutes."

" Well, I would say alright except for one thing…I'm not your mother." Dash opened his eyes to find that the voice was right, she wasn't his mother.

" Mirage? Where's mom?"

" Out in the kitchen eating breakfast with your father and sister."

" Is it a holiday or something? Mom never makes breakfast this early…" Dash sat up and rubbed one eye, trying to get the sleep out of it.

" Nope, I made breakfast… now are you coming out? Or should I let you sleep some more?"

" I guess I'll come out, I'm starving."

" Alright then, get dressed and I'll see you in a bit." She left Dash to get changed. She was about to go into Jack-Jack's room when Mrs. Incredible stopped her.

" Let him sleep, he was up late last night."

Mirage nodded and the two women walked quietly down the hall, soon followed by Dash. The whole family sat down at the table and began to eat. Violet and Dash poured themselves orange juice and took seats at the table, Bob and Helen were at both ends, and Dash was across from Mirage, and violet sat next to Mirage, talking with her about nothing in particular. Bob soon interrupted their conversation.

" Alright family, before we even touch on scrap of this delicious looking meal, we must thank Mirage for preparing it. To the naked eye, Mirage looked normal after Bob's statement, but if they were really paying attention, they could've seen Mirage turn a light shade of pink.

" Yes, thank you Mirage, for doing what even I as a housewife failed to do…get up early and prepare a meal." Helen said, smiling.

" Thanks Mirage." Dash said, giving her one of his goofy grins.

" Yeah, thanks, this looks great." Mirage smiled warmly.

" You're all very welcome, but honestly, it's the least I could do." Mirage said, taking a bite out of a piece of bacon.

" For what?" Bob asked

" For letting me stay here… You didn't exactly need another house-guest during your summer vacation."

" Are you kidding? We're happier to have you here than you could even imagine." Bob said, looking at his wife, who was also smiling.

" Really?"

" Really, because of our hero lifestyle, we don't have many adult friends…none at all actually, so you're the first." Helen stated.

" Wow, I never thought I would actually be thought of that highly by anyone."

" Who wouldn't think highly of you, you're smart, beautiful." Mirage blushed as Bob said that. " You're nice, and almost as sophisticated as it gets. It's impossible to think bad of you."

" You have no idea." Mirage said with a bitter tone, it made Helen shiver. She put down her coffee mug and turned to face Mirage.

" Are you talking about Syndrome?"

" He speaks for himself…but if you knew what I dealt with before Syndrome…you would very quickly change your tune…" Mirage eyes practically glowed with anger. " But let's not talk about that, what are we going to do today?" She said, picking up her tone of voice.

" Well, Bob has to work around 3:00, so It'll be just you, me and the kids…"

" We could drive around and see what we can find…"

" That sounds like a good idea, we can take my car."

Mirage and Helen cleaned up the kitchen and then they joined Bob, violet, Dash, and Jack-Jack in the living room. Violet and Dash were fighting over the remote and Jack-jack was drinking from his bottle, giggling at his quarreling siblings. The three adults were in a heated debate. Mirage and Helen were trying to convince Bob that men only think with one side of their brain, (this is a known fact.) after about fifteen minutes of debate, they were interrupted by dash.

"OW! MOM! VIOLET BIT ME!" Dash yelped, his hand bleeding.

" VIOLET! Come with me Dash." Helen led dash down the hall to the bathroom. Mirage gave Violet a stern glare.

" Violet, why did you bite your brother?"

" He wouldn't give me the remote."

" We noticed, but was it really worth biting him?"

" Uh…yes?" Mirage's deep hazel eyes pierced right through her... putting her to shame, more than her mother ever could.

" Honestly Violet, a little immature isn't it?"

" I'm sorry." Violet said softly.

" Don't tell me, say it to Dash." Mirage folded her arms across her chest.

When Dash came out, Violet apologized, much to the shock of her mother.  
" Woah…she said she was sorry... what'd you say to her Bob?" Helen asked, still shocked about Violet. Bob answered her, still in awe of what had happened.

" Don't ask me! Mirage dealt with it." Fear suddenly crept over Mirage…had she overstepped her boundaries?

" What did you say to her Mirage?"

" I merely said that what she did was immature and that she should apologize." Helen looked over to Bob.

" She's telling the truth…that's all she said."

" Then how come it never worked for me?" Helen said. Violet spoke, making them all turn around.

" I had to apologize… have you ever had Mirage glare at you? It sent shivers down my spine." Violet said.

Helen laughed " Really? Let's see, ok Mirage, glare at me." She and her husband stood in front of Mirage. " Well, I can't just glare at someone for no reason." Mirage said uneasily. Helen thought for a moment, and then had an idea. " Pretend I'm syndrome." She said. In an instant, Mirage forgot all of her surroundings. All that was visible was the being in front of her…which she knew to be Helen…or so she thought. Who she thought was Helen began to change…her red hair became longer and stood straight up…before long, she was staring face to face with the man she had come to hate so much, Syndrome. Mirages eyes narrowed, and the glare in her eyes was more deadly that that of the infamous basilisk . Helen's eyes grew wide Mirage snapped back to reality.

" Did you see that Bob? Oh my god…I seriously couldn't move."

" I know…jeez Mirage, that's some stare you've got." Bob said

" Great, now I will be world renowned as the one who's looks can kill." Mirage added huffily.

" Mom! Dad's gonna be late for work…It's almost 2:30." Dash said

" Oh shoot! I gotta run, goodbye Helen, kids, Mirage. I'll see you all later." Bob said. He gave Helen a good-bye kiss, and Ran out the door and drove away to work, leaving Mirage, Helen, and the kids.

" So, what shall we do today?" Mirage said, regaining her composure.

" I dunno, lets go into the city and see what we can find.

With that, they got into Helen's car and drove off into Metroville. When they reached the city, they drove up and down the streets looking for something to do. They decided against seeing a movie, the kids had already done that yesterday. Mirage and Helen decided that they would go to the park. When the reached the park, Violet was chasing Dash around the playground, and Mirage and Helen sat on a park bench. Mirage was enjoying the sun, and Helen was holding Jack-jack…

" Beautiful out today isn't it?" Mirage asked, closing her eyes.

" Gorgeous… look at those two…they fight like cats and dogs." Helen pointed to Violet and Dash.

" Yes, but truthfully, I think it's normal… the age difference could play a small part too…"

" This is true…Hey, I've got a question, Mirage." Helen shifted Jack-Jack on her knee

" Yes?"

" Violet's birthday is coming up soon, in like a month or so…do you have any ideas for what I could do? I think she's a bit old for a party…" Helen said. Mirage closed her eyes in deep thought. When she was thinking…she heard a sound… It was a group of teenagers, and one of them had just gotten their driver's license. They were all chanting a famous catch phrase…and it was then that she got an idea…

" Road trip…" She said quietly.

" What?" Helen said. Mirage spoke louder this time.

" Road trip…we'll take Violet on a road trip." Mirage said.

" Wow…that's a great idea Mirage…but it's a little bit hard…with Dash and Jack-Jack, and then there's Bob and his job. I don't think we could be able to do it." Helen shook her head. Mirage looked at Helen, an idea forming in her head.

" Well…I…could take her." She said timidly.

" You? Oh no, I couldn't do that to you, you should be relaxing… not on vacation with a rambunctious 14 year old."

" Seriously Helen, I think I need a little vacation… plus, Violet and I could get to know each other better. I could take her off your hands for a while." Mirage smiled. " it will be my birthday gift to her."

" Are you sure? Because I love the idea…but do you really need the burden?" Helen was mentally questioning herself. Could Mirage be trusted with something like this? "Well, I suppose I should let her. If she's going to me staying with us for a while, I'm going to have to trust her with my kids sooner or later…"

" Alright, Mirage, I hereby grant you the permission to take my daughter on a road trip for her birthday." Helen took on a formal tone

" Great! This will be fun… I haven't been on vacation for a very long time." Mirage smiled. " hmmm, now I need to figure out how to get enough money to put aside for this whole trip." Mirage was thinking to herself when helen chuckled.

" Well, a good place to start would be to ask me…. She's my daughter, any money you spend will come from me, plus whatever you decide to throw in."

" But I feel horrible spending your money… I feel like a leech." Mirage folded her arms.

" Don't be silly, now…let's go buy the kids some water from the machine. They dehydrate easily when fighting one another."

Laughing, Mirage, Helen, and jack-Jack walked over to the soda machine and bought three waters and one diet soda. Giving the children their water, Mirage took a sip from hers. She looked around the park, it was rather quiet today, except for Dash and Violet fighting. She was thinking to herself about how fun the road trip was going to be… It would be a great chance to get to know Violet. Mirage smiled…maybe she was really starting to fit in after all.

A/N- well? Did you enjoy chapter five? I apologize in advance for the rather unexciting ending, but it had to be done… I needed a good wrap-up point to start the next chapter. So, as we progress in the story, we near the unveiling of Mirage' past. Join me next time for chapter six " Happy birthday Violet! Road trip part one." Any questions or comments regarding this story, you can email me at cya!


	6. Happy birthday Violet! road trip part 1

A/n- hey everyone. Chapter six is here! This one was kinda awkward to write because it was a jump in time. A whole month to be exact... but I managed to work something out. I also apologize for the gap in update time. This is because I just got a new computer for my bedroom (spiffy huh? ) But it doesn't have internet yet… We're still workin' on that. So amidst all this chaos I will try to make my updates a little more regular… and they should be after I get internet because I will not take me as much effort to post the chapters after I have them written… So bear with me, I'm doin the best I can, Oh, and I think it's about time I wrote a disclaimer just in case

Disclaimer: I do NOT own Mirage or anyone else from the Incredibles… It's wishful thinking on my part… The only things I own in this story are the names of the towns in the road trip and the employees of the art gallery, Paul and Sasha. So if you find any reason to sue me after this you are a salami-eating baboon with yellow hair and tapir feet…oy…anti-crazy pill time!

Chapter Six

A month had passed by in Metroville. Mirage had been staying with the Parr family for a whole month now…and she was surprising them more and more everyday. She had gotten into the trend of making breakfast for them every morning, and they didn't complain. Laughing and smiling had become a normal part of her behavior, and she and Violet had become fast friends… Every day they would go into Violet's room and look at magazines and listen to music. Bob had asked Helen what made those two share such a strong bond in such a short amount of time…

"Look at those two… they're like sisters…" Bob said, looking at the two girls who were sitting in the kitchen… Mirage was watching Violet draw weird pictures of Dash, and then they both would explode in fits of laughter.

"So? Violet's never had a best friend before, or at least not one as close as she has become with Mirage.  
Our lifestyle has always forbidden it… and that goes for you, Dash, and I as well. I think Violet deserves this don't you?"

"Yeah, I guess… but still, you'd think their age difference would affect that…" Bob replied

"How old is mirage?" Helen asked. "I can't believe I never asked her that before."

"She's twenty- two." Bob said.

"So she's still young… very young actually, she's so mature for her age. Violet and her are so close because of that fact; Mirage seems to have the same tastes in everything that Violet does. That would explain why they're always together, and you know how Violet is about talking to us…she wont… So that's why those two have such a strong bond. Mirage is like the big sister that Violet never had." Helen said, looking over at Violet and Mirage, who were now talking indistinctly.

"Yeah, I guess you're right Honey."

"As always." Helen grinned.

" Those two should have fun on their road tri..." Helen clapped a hand over his mouth.

"Don't say it out loud! Violet still doesn't know!"

"Mirage didn't tell her yet?

"No, she's is going to wait until her birthday to tell her, they are going to leave the next morning." Helen said.

"But her birthday is tomorrow! Well ok then… Should we ask them if they want to go for a swim?" Bob said. He was already in his bathing suit.

"Sure, you go ahead in, I'll ask them.

Bob departed for the pool, and Helen walked into the kitchen.

"Hey you two clowns, do you want to go for a swim?" Helen was leaning in the doorway; Mirage and Violet looked up from the table.

"Yeah! C'mon Mirage let's go swimming!" Violet led Mirage up from the table by her hands.

"Alright, Let's go get changed…" Mirage said…with that Violet took off down the hall…

"I call the bathroom first!" Violet shouted.

"No fair!" Mirage said, taking off after Violet down the hall. Helen looked on in surprise, she had been correct; those two were exactly like sisters.

A few minutes later, both girls came out onto the deck. Violet was wearing her favorite two piece bathing suit. It was hot pink and tied in the back. Mirage was wearing a two-piece also, It was a two-piece tankini and the back was full and showed none of the skin on her back (keep that in mind.) Bob shouted to her.

"Come on Mirage, you're skinny enough to wear something more revealing then a tankini!" he had earned a slap from his wife and a glare from Violet. Mirage must not have heard them though, because by the time he had said it, she had dove headfirst into the pool. Her streamlined body allowed her to glide through the water with an almost dolphin-like grace. She came up from underwater and tossed her wet hair behind her shoulders. Her hair, Helen thought, was even more beautiful when it was wet. The way it became about an inch or two longer, and the way it clung to her face and back, framing it and bringing out her features. It made her envious. She was brought back to earth by Dash's frustrated cries. He was being held by his stomach up in the air by none other than Mirage. She had told him to hold his breath, and before a second had passed she had tossed him into the water. He came up choking and sputtering. She swam over to him and picked him up, letting him catch his breath. She brought him over to the shallow end, where Helen was holding Jack-jack in his little inner tube. The whole Parr family was staring at her.

"What?" She asked, confused as to why every single pair of eyes was on her.

"It's the way you swim." Violet said.

"What's wrong with the way I swim?" Mirage asked, still confused.

"What's wrong with it? Does this explain it…It puts a dolphin to shame!" Violet shouted.

"Maybe she was a dolphin in a past life." Bob said to Violet.

"Stop…You're making me blush." Said Mirage, going under the water hoping to cool the rush of blood coming over her face.

After a good two hours, they all decided to get out of the pool. Looking like raisins, they all took turns getting changed and sat in the living room watching T.V, all in their pajamas. Violet was wearing her black pajama shorts with flamingoes all over them and a white T-shirt. Dash was wearing flannel shorts and a white T-shirt. Mirage was wearing pajama shorts that had were navy blue and had monkeys all over them, and a navy blue spaghetti-strap top that had a girl monkey on it and said " This chick's gone bananas!" on the front. Mr. and Mrs. Parr were wearing plain pajama shorts and white T-shirts. Mr. and Mrs. Parr took seats again on the couches, while Violet, dash and Mirage all sat on the floor. They were fighting over a movie. Mirage suggested one and everyone agreed…except for Dash. So, the bickering continued until they finally found a good movie that they all agreed on.  
Later on in the movie, it started to get quiet. Helen looked down at the floor and smiled in spite of what she saw. Dash was curled up next to Mirage sound asleep. Violet was also sleeping, with her arm on Mirage's shoulder. Mirage herself was even asleep, in a peaceful sleep with no intention of waking up.  
Helen and Bob looked at each other and chuckled softly. They stood up and turned the T.V off. Helen carried Dash to his room and the Violet. Bob gently picked Mirage up, amazed at how light she was, and carried her off to her room. He opened the door, peeled back the covers, placing Mirage on her bed and pulled the covers over her. She took a deep breath and turned onto her stomach, wrapping one arm around the pillow and drifting back off into deep sleep once again. Bob chuckled at this sight, and he leaned over and gave Mirage a light kiss on the cheek. When he picked his head up again, he whispered to her. "You've really made a comeback, Mirage." Then he turned around and left the room, bound for his room.  
The next morning… Violet was up early… She looked at her calendar and ran out of the room. Today was her birthday. Mirage and the rest of the family were already up. Mirage had helped Helen hang up a banner and prepare everything for that day. Mirage had made breakfast, as usual, and when Violet came out the all shouted "Surprise!"

"Good Morning Birthday girl!" Said Bob, giving his daughter a kiss.

"Happy birthday Vi." Said Helen. Jack-jack cooed in her arms.

" Happy birthday Sis!" Dash shouted.

" Happy birthday Violet." Said Mirage.

" Thanks everyone…wow, I'm officially fourteen now. Two more years and I'll be driving… YEAH!"

" Ok, Vi, what do you want to do first? Open presents? Or what?" Helen could hardly wait to see Violet's reaction to Mirage's gift.

" Don't we usually wait 'till later to do this stuff?" Violet was confused

" Usually, but Mirage has a special gift for you…and I hope you like it because she's been planning the whole thing for almost a month." Helen said and smiled at Mirage

" What is it Mirage?" Violet was becoming more confused by the second.

" Now if I told you that, It wouldn't be a surprise, I'll tell you later when we're eating cake." Mirage added slyly. They all finished eating breakfast and went into the living room to open Violet's presents. She received a new purse from her mother. It was a shoulder length black purse with the word "princess" on it on gold lettering. She got a few new CD's that she had her eye on from her father. She got a cool new lamp for her room from dash. It was purple and the lampshade was fuzzy. When she was finished, they went into the kitchen to eat cake. It was an ice cream cake, Violet's favorite. The cake was sliced and everyone got a piece. Mirage was silently eating her piece, every once and a while glancing over at Helen, who after a while gave her a slight nod.

" Okay Violet, now It's time for me to give you my gift." Violet almost dropped her fork when she heard mirage say this.

" Alright, now, what do you get when you take these?" She held up her car keys. " A sports car." She pointed in the direction of the driveway. " You and I." She moved her finger back and forth between Violet and herself. " A period of time". Violet was trying to put the clues together. " Some hotels, and a map?" Mirage stopped talking, and Violet was very befuddled at this point. Mirage was still standing, and the rest of the table was completely silent. This went on for another fifteen minutes or so, and then Violet's eyes lit up.

" Wait… are you taking me on a road trip?" Violet asked, when Mirage nodded her head, Violet got up from the table and flung herself at Mirage.

" Oh my god! This is going to be so much fun! Thank you so much Mirage! How come you decided to do all this for me?" Violet still had not let go of Mirage.

" Well, I figured that, even as close as we gave become, this could give us a chance to get to know each other. Plus I though it might be fun to go on a much-needed vacation." Mirage said.

" Yep, Mirage has been planning this for a whole month, you two can start packing in a few minutes, you are leaving tomorrow morning. Helen said. Violet still had not let go of Mirage, and vice-versa.

" C'mon Mirage! Let's go start packing." With that, Violet let go of Mirage and they walked down the hall together. Helen and Bob were smiling at each other when a voice was heard.

" Hey! How come you guys never do anything cool like this for MY birthday?" said dash with a pouty look on his face.

" Well, Mirage did this all by herself, who knows what she's got planned for your birthday." Bob said, Picking up his son and walking into the living room. Helen carried Jack-Jack in and walked down the hall to put him in for a nap, where she heard Violet and Mirage talking.

" What about this Mirage? Does it make me look dorky?" Violet was saying.

" No, not at all, put that in, a few more outfits and then we can move on to a bathing suit." Mirage said

Helen put Jack-Jack in his crib and walked back down the hall. She cracked the door to Violet's room open just a little bit and began to listen in on the conversation.

" Now, Violet, you might want to bring both types of bathing suit. One piece and two. Your mother would never let me show my face here again if some beach bum kidnap you for his own personal vendetta." Mirage said, bringing a one piece and a two piece bathing suit out of Violet's closet.

" Yes she would, It wouldn't be your fault. My mom likes you." Mirage smiled

" Yes, and the feeling is mutual. Your mom was the one that brought me here."

" I know, and it's a good thing she did."

" Oh, and why is that?" Mirage said

" Because then I never would've met my big sister." Violet said, smiling. Mirage's eyes widened…did she say big sister? Mirage smiled, not really knowing what to say.

" Yep, and I never would've met my little sister." Mirage's smile grew even wider, as did Violet's.

" Ok, Mirage, it's time for me to show you what sisters do." Mirage tilted her head, and quicker than she could blink her eyes, She was whacked upside the head with a pillow. Violet brought the pillow back from Mirage's head and shouted.

" PILLOW FIGHT!" She screamed. Mirage grabbed a pillow off of Violet's bed and used it as a shield. Hitting Violet whenever a spot opened. This pillow fight lasted about a good hour, until both girls were out of breath and collapsed on the floor. Mirage's hair put a lion's mane to shame, and Violets was no better. Both girls sat up, took one look at each other, and erupted with laughter.

" Oh my gosh Mirage, look at your hair!"

" Your's is no better."

" Let's brush it so we can get back to work." Violet said.

Both girls grabbed their hairbrushes and set to work on untangling their hair. Before long they had their hair back in shape and were packing once again. They closed Violet's suitcase full of clothes and begin to put other miscellaneous thing into the next suitcase. They added a towel, Violet's CD's, some sunscreen, a map, two way radios in case they got separated, some books, and almost everything else they could think of. They closed Violet's bags and put them out in the living room, along with some pillows and blankets. Helen came out carrying three huge bags.

" This is all the food you guys'll need, try to rent hotels with kitchens in them, fast food makes you fat."

" Right mom. We're all done with my packing, we're going to go do Mirage's now."

" Ok, you two, but no horseplay, Jack-Jack is sleeping." Helen said.

Violet and Mirage nodded and walked down the hallway into Mirage's room. Violet walked in and gasped, it was so clean!

" Wow, mirage! Your room is so clean! How do you keep it like this?"

"It's just habit." Mirage said as she was dragging her suitcases out of her closet. When she got them out, they left the closet open and began to put clothes in. When they were almost done filling the suitcase, Mirage took an outfit out of her closet and held it up to her body. It was a turquoise cloth outfit with a tanktop and long flowing pants. It was meant to go over a bathing suit.

" Does this make me look fat?" Mirage asked Violet, who rolled her eyes.

" You! Fat? Please, It would be the end of the world when you gain a pound." Violet said. Mirage threw the outfit into her suitcase and zipped it up. Moving that suitcase to the floor, they out the next on up on the bed. They added some books, mirage's cellphone, and anything else they could find. She closed that suitcase, packed her toiletry bag, and brought it out into the living room with all of the other things. They both collapsed onto the couch, both surprised about how packing was such hard work. Helen brought them out some dinner and they ate in silence, too tired to speak. They were watching T.V when Violet began to nod off. Mirage noticed this and gave a yawn. She woke Violet up and, after saying goodnight to Helen, walked with her down the hall. Saying goodnight to Violet, She walked into the bathroom. When she finished in there, she turned on the light in her room. She picked up all of the loose items on the floor and put them in her proper places. Turning off the light, she crawled into bed… "I can't believe it. Already a month and I'm fitting in. It's like for the first time in seven years. I have a home… Mother you would be proud." Were her last thoughts before sleep claimed her and her subconscious mind took over, No doubt filling her head with all of the fun she would be having on her road trip.  
The next day, Mirage awoke to the golden rays of sunlight. She knew full well what day it was, but there was just something about this morning that made her want to sleep in. Rolling over and ignoring the sun, she was almost asleep again when she felt something pounce on top of her.

" Mirage! C'mon Mirage! Wake up! Today's the day!" Violet said, making sure that she was right on top of Mirage to avoid her going back to sleep.

" C'mon Violet, five more minutes." Mirage said lazily. Violet rolled her eyes.

" Ugh, you sound like my brother, Up with you!" Violet said, ripping the covers off of Mirage, exposing her body to the morning air. Mirage shivered and then decided to wake up.

" Mmm." Mirage groaned and stretched. " So are you ready for today?" Mirage rubbed one eye.

" You bet! My mom already made us breakfast. So are you gonna get off the bed? Lazy bum?" Violet grinned, Mirage was just the opposite of a lazy bum, but she had slept rather late this morning. Getting off of the bed, her feet hit the hardwood floor and she stood up and stretched her legs.

" I'm not a lazy bum, I'm up right?" Mirage pointed to her feet.

" Yeah, took ya long enough, let's go eat some breakfast and then we can leave." Violet said, practically dragging Mirage out of the room. Mirage stopped Violet.

" Uh, one thing Violet."

" What?"

" Can I get dressed first?" Mirage asked, Violet laughed and helped Mirage pick out an outfit. They chose a pair of blue jeans and a green halter-top.

Out in the kitchen, Helen greeted the two.

" Well, look who's finally up. Welcome back to earth Mirage." Helen smiled. Her only reply was a yawn. " Sleep well?" Helen asked

" As a matter of fact I did, thank you." Mirage still looked a little sleepy.

" Good, now let's eat and then you two can decide a plan of attack for the day." Helen led the, to the table where she gave them plates full of food. Mirage poured herself a cup of coffee and sat down next to Violet, who was looking at a map.

" See any places you'd like to go Violet? We can mark them down." Mirage stirred her coffee.

" You mean I can pick?" Violet's eyes widened. She had never directed her own vacation before. Mirage smiled.

" This is your birthday trip. You can choose where we go, and I can drive us there? Mirage looked at Violet.

" This is so cool! Ok, so…uhh, how long are we planning on being gone?" Helen shouted back.

" That's the fun of a road trip Vi, you're not supposed to know, or care for that matter."

" She's right…just one question." Mirage said.

" What?"

" Do you like amusement parks?

" Only a whole lot! Do you go on rides?" Violet was practically jumping out of her seat.

" Oh yes, roller coasters are my favorite! But I haven't been on one in ages." So forgive me if I throw up all over you." Mirage made fake vomiting noises and Violet was laughing. They found an amusement park that was not too far away and marked it off. Mirage and Violet were marking places off on their map left and right. Mirage and Violet came to a plan, they would stay relatively close to Metroville. They would start going north and explore a bit up there, then travel around the city and explore everything south of it. When they finished, Mirage folded up the map and walked out of the kitchen. They saw the whole family waiting for them.

" Are you guys ready yet?" Bob asked.

" Yup, we're ready to go dad."

" Hey sis?"

" Yeah?"

" If you go to any beaches, can you bring me back some seashells?" Dash said.

" Sure." Violet smiled and the family walked out to Mirage's car. Bob gave his daughter a hug, and then walked over and hugged Mirage " be careful out there you two, and above all else, have fun." He whispered to her, she smiled at him. Helen gave her daughter a hug and a kiss, and hugged Mirage as well, much to her surprise. " Don't let anything happen to my baby, but have fun. Be safe." She said to Mirage, who smiled once again. Dash and Violet hugged, and Mirage looked up, only to feel a tug at her belt loop. It was Dash. " Come down here Mirage! I can't reach you!" Mirage laughed and got down on one knee, wrapping the small boy up in her arms. Putting him down, she and Violet walked over to the car and Mirage started it. Bob had already put their suitcases into the car, and Helen called to them.

" I want to see everywhere you go! You packed the extra memory cards for your digital camera right?"

" Yes, I've got them, We'll see you when we get back everyone!" Mirage said, rolling up the window and pulling out of the driveway.  
Mirage and Violet waved goodbye to the rest of the family as they drove out of sight. Mirage switched her radio on and the two got into a conversation.

" So Mirage, What are we gonna do first?"

" Well, lets set our sights on getting out of the city. When were out, we can stop for something to eat and then find a hotel." Mirage put her sunglasses on and turned the radio up a bit.

" That sounds good, It's going to be so nice to get away from that house for a while." Violet said, putting her head up against the headrest.

" What's wrong with your house?" Mirage said.

"Nothing's wrong with it, but we haven't gone on vacation in a while and it's going to be nice to get away from the house for a while. Mirage smiled.  
After about a half-hour of talking and laughing, they reached the Metroville city limits. They waved goodbye to the city and drove out. On the highway, they were listening to " Breakaway" by Kelly Clarkson. Violet was listening to the song intently when she just happened to look over at Mirage. Here eyes widened, because she noticed that Mirage's lips were moving. "Is she singing?" Violet thought to herself. Thinking fast, she nonchalantly put her hand near the radio, and when Mirage looked away, she turned the volume down a decent amount, revealing the fact that Mirage was indeed singing. Mirage had no idea that the volume had gone down, so she continued to sing. She had a beautiful voice. One would never have suspected Mirage to be someone who is into singing, but she was perfectly on key and outshined even the singer with her voice. When the song was over, Violet turned down the volume completely.

" I didn't know you could sing." Mirage's eyes grew wide.

" You could hear that?" She said sheepishly.

" Yeah I could hear it! Why would you hide a beautiful voice like that?" Violet said. Mirage blushed slightly.

" I always thought my voice was horrible..." She said, more to herself than to Violet. 

" Who put that idea in your head?" Said Violet. " Oh well, forget it. Where are we thinking about looking for a hotel?"

" Well, We're on our way to that amusement park, so somewhere on the way to that." Mirage put a flyaway strand of hair behind her ear. Violet nodded in response as another song came on the radio.

" Hey Mirage?"

" Yes?"

" Can we stop for lunch soon? I'm getting hungry again." Violet said.

" Yes, we can look at the map while we eat… if the signs have been correct there should be a hotel not too far from here."

" Is it a nice one?" Violet asked.

" Now Violet, would I take you to a run-down shack hotel on your birthday?"

" Just checking." Violet grinned

After about another ten minutes of driving and playing bury your cows ( I will explain this game after the chapter) they stopped a rest stop to eat. Sitting down at a table, Mirage went to go get some lunch and Violet pulled out a map. Mirage came back soon with a large tray full of food.

" You wanted a cheeseburger and fries right? Mirage asked, handing Violet her food.

" Yup, that's right… what did you get?"

" Just a salad and a water… I never eat much.

" Yeah, I noticed… didn't they feed you on Nomanisan?" Violet looked at Mirage, who rolled her eyes

" Of course they fed me, but I was always doing other things, so I really didn't even think about eating.

" Oh… what was it like on Nomanisan?" Violet was worried that this was a touchy subject, but she couldn't ignore her curiosity anymore.

" Well, apart from the horrible people the Island itself was beautiful…or was at one time. It would be a lot better if you take the huge buildings off of it. My room was beautiful, it overlooked the ocean."

" That sounds nice… hey, have you found any hotels yet?" Violet was munching on her fries. Mirage took a sip of her water."

" To tell you the truth I haven't even been looking." Both girls laughed and Mirage picked up the map. "Violet, why don't you give your mother a call on my cellphone, it's in my purse." Violet nodded and picked up Mirage's purse. It was small, so it didn't hold many things, but Violet had never seen a neater purse in all her life. Violet grabbed the cell phone and flipped it open. There, she went into the phone book and pressed the button to dial her mom.  
Back at the house, things were somewhat hectic, Helen was fighting with jack-jack, who was reluctant to get in his high chair, and Bob and Dash were in elsewhere in the house.

" Bob! Dash! Can one of you get the phone? I'm kinda busy right now!" Helen shouted. It was Bob who ran to the phone first.

" Hello?"

" Hey Dad, It's Violet."

" Hey Vi! How are you?" He could hear Mirage mumbling in the background

"Put them on speakerphone." She was saying.

" Well how do I do that?" She said. "Hold on Dad, Mirage is trying to put you on speakerphone.

" Well, I know how to do it...Ugh…gimme the phone…" Bob could just barely hear Mirage chuckle. "Simple minded fool." She said. " Hey!" Violet shouted. Pretty soon the two had stopped their round of banter and both voices could be heard clearly.

" Are you two done yet?" Bob asked.

" Yeah, were done dad… Miss techno geek here wouldn't shut up." Bob could hear Violet laugh

" Yes, we're quite finished Bob. Now, above the technically challenged ape's rampant laughter over here.. Tell me, how are you?" She heard Bob laugh.

" I'm fine, we're all fine, it's raining in Metroville though. Dash is pretty bored… so that means no peace and quiet for the rest of us, where are you guys right now?"

" We're at a rest stop just outside of Semperton… We're going to go into town soon and rent a hotel for the night."

" Sounds like you two have everything all planned out, that's great… hold on, Lemme go put you on our speakerphone in the kitchen, I'm sure Helen and the rest of the family want to say hello.

" Okay" Both girls said… a few minutes later Jack-jack's cooing could be heard…along with Dashes muttering and Helen's inquiry as to who was on the phone.

" Hey girls! How's it going?" Helen sounded overjoyed at the fact that both girls were safe.

" Great" They both said. " So, you guys are just outside of Semperton?"

" Well, not just outside, were about a half hour away." Said Mirage

" Oh ok, find any good hotels on the map?" Helen asked.

" I found one, it seems pretty nice, It's called " the National Inn." It's kind of in the middle of Semperton." Mirage said

" Ok, I think I might be familiar with that hotel… we've been through Semperton on one of our few vacations."

" Oh yeah, I remember that… It rained the whole time." Violet said

" Yes… not one of our better vacations… Well, I'll let you two go, I have to feed Jack-Jack anyway… although I can tell you right now over half of this jar of baby food will end up on me." Helen said.

" Ok, we'll call you when we get into the hotel." Mirage replied with a slight chuckle. " Good luck feeding Jack-jack."

" Thanks Mirage… I'm sure gonna need it.. Bye."

" Bye." The two girls said in unison. Mirage put her cellphone back in her purse and they got up and threw their trash away.

" Do you want anything else while were here? We won't be stopping again until we get to the hotel."

" Nope, but we should use the bathroom before we go."

" You go ahead, I'll wait here." And Violet left for the bathroom.  
When she was done, they left the rest stop and got into Mirage's car once again…  
Coming into the town… it was nice to see a town that wasn't overcome by massive crowds or huge skyscrapers. The drove around the town for a while… looking at peoplr, shops, and other things before coming to a hotel. Mirage parked her car and the two girls got out… wlaking inside they saw a chubby man sitting at a desk.

" Welcome to the Country Inn ladies, may I help you?" the man said.

" Yes, we need a room for the night… do you have any vacancies?"

" We sure do… we've got a cheap room available now with two full-size beds, cable T.v, a full bathroom, and a table… room service included… one night's stay would cost you about 300 dollars…. Would you be interested?" Mirage looked over at violet, who nodded.

" Yes, I think so… here is the money, we will be unloading our things now… we won't require asistance since we don't have much in luggage." She handed the man the money and took her purse off the counter. When they were outside they popped the trunk of the car. Mirage took her suitcases out and handed violet hers.

" So what are we gonna do for the rest of the day?" Violet asked, rolling her suitcases on the ground.

" Well, I figured that there's not much to do, my eyes are tired from staring at the road… so maybe we can just hang around the hotel, maybe order some food, watch televison, and just generally be lazy for the rest of the day."

" Sounds good to me." Violet said.

When they reached the room, they put down their luggage.. It was a nice room… verr clean and a nice size. Not nearly as big as the hotle Mirage had been staying in, but it would serve the purpose for one night. Mirage slipped her shoes off and sat on her bed. Violet followed suit and sat down. Mirage grabbed the remote and pretty soon both girls were absorbed in a movie. Both were also very excited about what the next day had in store for them….

A/N: OK, chapter six is finally over! I'm so glad…. This chapter was becoming very repetitive and I rly needed a place to wrap it up… so next chapter… the girls reach the amusement park stay tuned! O AND DON'T FORGET TO REVIEW! Cuz I love reviews! 


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